THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
September 26th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CLXXIX
~~~~~~~~~~
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
September 26th, 2013
Volume VII, Edition CLXXIX
~~~~~~~~~~
by Phil Allaway
NASCAR Expands Preseason Thunder For 2014
On Wednesday, NASCAR officially announced the dates for Preseason Thunder, the yearly test session for the Sprint Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway. There are some additions as well.
NASCAR Preseason Thunder will be held from January 9-14, 2014 in Daytona, an increase of three days from this year. The Sprint Cup Series teams will be on track on January 9-10. The Nationwide Series will then move in and test on January 11-12. Finally, Camping World Truck Series teams will test on January 13-14. For the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, it will be their first official January test in Daytona since the testing ban was instituted after the end of the 2008 season.
In addition to the on-track action, there will also be fan-friendly activities available. The Preseason Thunder Fan Fest will be back for another year. Sprint Cup's fan fest will be held on January 9th, while the Nationwide Series fan fest will be on January 11th. There is currently no fan fest scheduled for the Camping World Truck Series.
NASCAR is happy to have Preseason Thunder back in Daytona for another year.
"Preseason Thunder at Daytona offers teams an opportunity to prepare for one of the most important race weekends of the season," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's Vice President of Competition. "Races at Daytona International Speedway are unique to NASCAR competition, and Preseason Thunder will not only give all three of our national series an opportunity to test, but will allow us to settle upon a rules package that will benefit our teams and provide the best on-track action for our fans."
Track President Joie Chitwood, III is also excited about the upcoming open tests.
"We're looking forward to hosting all three of NASCAR's national touring series for Preseason Thunder," Chitwood said. "Having the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series teams join the stars of the Sprint Cup Series in testing the high banks will ignite plenty of excitement for the start of the new NASCAR season."
Tickets for Preseason Thunder are not available as of yet. However, they will be made available starting on November 18th by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Tickets will include wristbands required for admittance to autograph sessions. For the testing itself, fans will be able to watch from a portion of the Oldfield Grandstand (exit of Turn 4) free of charge.
Cold Stone Creamery to Sponsor Piquet at Dover
Wednesday afternoon, Turner Scott Motorsports announced that Cold Stone Creamery, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based chain of premium soft serve ice cream, will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 30 Chevrolet driven by Nelson Piquet, Jr. in Saturday's OneMain Financial 200. It is the first entry into NASCAR for Cold Stone.
Piquet is very happy to have Cold Stone Creamery aboard for Dover.
"I am thrilled to have Cold Stone on the car this weekend at Dover," Piquet said. "It's a great company, and I really enjoy getting their ice cream and shakes when I am craving something sweet. It's great to have a new company like Cold Stone in the sport of NASCAR, and I am looking forward to getting them a great finish this weekend at Dover."
Cold Stone Creamery President Dan Beem is happy to be in business with Piquet.
"Piquet Jr.'s competitiveness, leadership and confidence, both in his keen racing acumen and in his team, is without a doubt something to admire," Beem said. "Jumping into the racing world with Turner Scott Motorsports is an incredible opportunity for our brand to be a part of and is going to be a great ride. Nelson has thrilled race fans the continents over with his mature, controlled, yet aggressive brand of racing. We look forward to being a part of this winning car and team."
Piquet is currently 12th in Nationwide Series points with four top-10 finishes. At Dover, he has only one Nationwide start, which resulted in a 20th-place finish back in June. Piquet also has a top-5 finish in the Camping World Truck Series on the high banks.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series AAA 400: 43 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 30- Cole Whitt for Swan Racing
No. 33- Tony Raines for Circle Point, LLC
No. 35- Josh Wise for Front Row Motorsports
No. 40- Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing/Circle Point, LLC
No. 51- Ryan Truex for Phoenix Racing
No. 55- Brian Vickers for Michael Waltrip Racing
No. 87- Joe Nemechek for NEMCO Motorsports/JRR
No. 95- Reed Sorenson for Leavine Family Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 30- Cole Whitt returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Swindell.
No. 47- AJ Allmendinger returns to the seat, replacing Bobby Labonte.
No. 51- Ryan Truex returns to the seat, replacing Michael McDowell.
No. 98- Michael McDowell returns to the seat, replacing Johnny Sauter.
Since there are only 43 entries, no one will fail to qualify.
Nationwide Series 5-Hour Energy 200: 39 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 22- Joey Logano for Penske Racing
No. 33- Kevin Harvick for Richard Childress Racing
No. 46- JJ Yeley for The Motorsports Group, LLC
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Kyle Busch Motorsports/Joe Gibbs Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 4- Landon Cassill returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Lepage.
No. 15- Chase Miller is in the seat, replacing Carl Long.
No. 22- Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Blaney.
No. 23- Donnie Neuenberger is in the seat, replacing Harrison Rhodes.
No. 24- Ken Butler, III returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Ellis.
No. 33- Kevin Harvick returns to the seat, replacing Matt Crafton.
No. 40- T.J. Bell returns to the seat, replacing Reed Sorenson.
No. 42- Josh Wise returns to the seat, replacing T.J. Bell.
No. 46- JJ Yeley returns to the seat, replacing Matt DiBenedetto.
No. 54- Kyle Busch returns to the seat, replacing Drew Herring.
No. 70- Tony Raines returns to the seat, replacing Johanna Long.
No. 79- T.J. Duke is in the seat, replacing Jeffrey Earnhardt.
Since there are only 39 cars entered, no one will fail to qualify. However, these teams must still qualify on speed:
No. 00- Blake Koch for SR2 Motorsports*
No. 10- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports*
No. 15- Chase Miller for Rick Ware Racing*
No. 42- Josh Wise for The Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 46- JJ Yeley for The Motorsports Group, LLC*
No. 50- Danny Efland for MAKE Motorsports*
No. 52- Joey Gase for Jimmy Means Racing
No. 74- Carl Long for Mike Harmon Racing
No. 89- Morgan Shepherd for Shepherd Motor Ventures
Not Entered:
No. 18- Joey Coulter for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 21- Dakoda Armstrong for Richard Childress Racing
No. 34- Jeb Burton for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 55- Jamie Dick for Viva Motorsports
Camping World Truck Series Smith's 350: 29 trucks entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 84- Mike Harmon for Chris Fontaine, Inc./Mike Harmon Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 07- Caleb Roark returns to the seat, replacing Jimmy Weller. Chris Cockrum was originally entered in the truck.
No. 19- Ross Chastain returns to the seat, replacing Brad Keselowski.
No. 24- Brennan Newberry returns to the seat, replacing Austin Dillon.
No. 51- Chad Hackenbracht returns to the seat, replacing Kyle Busch.
No. 81- Matt Kurzejewski returns to the seat, replacing Kenny Wallace. David Starr was originally entered in the truck.
Since there are only 29 trucks entered, no one will fail to qualify. However, these drivers must still qualify on speed:
No. 0- Chris Lafferty for JJC Racing*
No. 6- Justin Lofton for Sharp Gallaher Racing
No. 10- Jennifer Jo Cobb for JJC Racing
No. 93- Chris Jones for RSS Racing*
Not Entered:
No. 02- Tyler Young for Young's Motorsports
No. 27- Jeff Agnew for Hillman Racing/Team 7 Motorsports
No. 30- Ben Kennedy for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 38- RSS Racing
No. 50- Danny Efland for MAKE Motorsports
No. 63- Justin Jennings for MB Motorsports
No. 92- Scott Riggs for RBR Enterprises
Rolex Sports Car Series Championship Weekend presented by BMW: 33 cars entered in 3 classes
Daytona Prototype (DP) Entries: 14
No. 01- Scott Pruett/Memo Rojas for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
No. 2- Ryan Dalziel/Alex Popow for Starworks Motorsport
No. 3- Enzo Potolicchio/Stephane Sarrazin/Michael Valiante for 8 Star Motorsports
No. 4- Sebastien Bourdais/Emilio DiGuida for 8 Star Motorsports
No. 5- Joao Barbosa/Christian Fittipaldi for Action Express Racing
No. 6- Justin Wilson/Gustavo Yacaman for Michael Shank Racing
No. 8- Brendon Hartley/Scott Mayer for Starworks Motorsports
No. 9- Brian and Burt Frisselle for Action Express Racing
No. 10- Max Angelelli/Jordan Taylor for Wayne Taylor Racing
No. 42- Dane Cameron/Wayne Nonnamaker for Team Sahlen
No. 43- Joe and Will Nonnamaker for Team Sahlen
No. 60- Oswaldo (Ozz) Negri, Jr./John Pew for Michael Shank Racing
No. 90- Ricky Taylor/Richard Westbrook for Spirit of Daytona Racing
No. 99- Jon Fogarty/Alex Gurney for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing
Grand Touring (GT) Entries: 15
No. 18- Bob Doyle/Kyle Marcelli for Muehlner Motorsports America
No. 19- Mark Greenberg/Unknown Driver for Muehlner Motorsports America
No. 31- Eric Curran/Boris Said for Marsh Racing
No. 44- Andy Lally/John Potter for Magnus Racing
No. 46- Al Carter/Eric Lux for Fall-Line Motorsports
No. 57- John Edwards/Robin Liddell for Stevenson Motorsports
No. 61- Jeff Segal/Alex Tagliani for R. Ferri/Aim Autosport
No. 63- Alessandro Balzan/Leh Keen for Scuderia Corsa
No. 64- Johannes van Overbeek/Paul Westphal for Scuderia Corsa
No. 66- Damien Faulkner/Richard Stanaway for TRG-Aston Martin Racing
No. 69- Emil Assentato/Anthony Lazzaro for AIM Autosport Team FXDD
No. 73- Patrick Lindsey/Patrick Long for Park Place Motorsports
No. 75- Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen for Stevenson Motorsports
No. 93- Tom Kimber-Smith/Michael Marsal for Turner Motorsport
No. 94- Bill Auberlen/Paul Dalla Lana for Turner Motorsport
Grand Touring Experimental (GX) Entries: 4
No. 00- Joel Miller/Tristan Nunez for SpeedSource
No. 11- Bill and Scott Dollahite for SDR/Lotus Racing
No. 38- Dr. Jim Norman/Spencer Pumpelly/John Tecce for BGB Motorsports
No. 70- Tom Long/Sylvain Tremblay for SpeedSource
Not Entered:
No. 02- Scott Dixon/Dario Franchitti for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
No. 03- Mike Hedlund/Johannes van Overbeek for Extreme Speed Motorsports
No. 50- Byron Dafoor/Jim Pace for Alegra Motorsports
No. 71- Charles Espenlaub/Charles Putnam for Park Place Motorsports
Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Championship Weekend: 50 entries in 2 classes
Grand Sport (GS) Entries: 22
No. 01- Lawson Aschenbach/Ashley McCalmont for CKS Autosport
No. 03- Joe Varde/Unknown driver for Rum Bum Racing
No. 05- Unknown drivers for Racers Edge Motorsports
No. 7- Damien Faulkner/Richard Stanaway? for TRG-Aston Martin Racing
No. 9- Matt Bell/John Edwards for Stevenson Motorsports
No. 13- Nick Longhi/Matt Plumb for Rum Bum Racing
No. 14- Brad Jaeger/BJ Zacharias for Doran Racing
No. 15- Archie Hamilton/Nick Mancuso for Multimatic Motorsports
No. 35- Andrew Aquilante/Preston Calvert for Phoenix Performance Racing
No. 38- Dr. Jim Norman/Spencer Pumpelly for BGB Motorsports
No. 45- Al Carter/Hugh Plumb for Fall-Line Motorsports
No. 46- Mark Boden/Bryan Sellers for Fall-Line Motorsports
No. 48- Charles Espenlaub/Trent Hindman for Fall-Line Motorsports
No. 51- Joey Atterbury/Shelby Blackstock for Roush Performance
No. 55- Jade Buford/Scott Maxwell for Multimatic Motorsports
No. 61- Billy Johnson/Jack Roush, Jr. for Roush Performance
No. 71- Tonis Kasemets/Michael Marsal for Multimatic Motorsports
No. 78- Richard Golinello/David Levine for Racers Edge Motorsports
No. 96- Bill Auberlen/Paul Dalla Lana for Turner Motorsport
No. 97- Don Salama/Will Turner for Turner Motorsport
No. 99- Rob Ecklin, Jr./Unknown driver for Automatic Racing
No. 158- Joe Foster/Ian James for Dempsey/Miller Racing
Street Tuner (ST) Entries: 32
No. 3- Chad McCumbee/Tyler McQuarrie for CJ Wilson Racing
No. 4- Juan and Jorge Leroux for LRT Racing
No. 5- Stevan McAleer/Marc Miller for CJ Wilson Racing
No. 22- Joe Koenig/Mike LaMarra for Burton Racing
No. 23- Terry Borcheller/Mike LaMarra for Burton Racing
No. 25- Tom Long/Derek Whitis for Freedom Autosport
No. 26- Andrew Carbonell/Rhett O'Doski for Freedom Autosport
No. 27- Joel Miller/Tristan Nunez for Freedom Autosport
No. 30- Mat and Mark Pombo for i-Moto
No. 31- Jayson Clunie/Pierre Kleinubing for i-Moto
No. 32- Taylor Hacquard/Pat Heptig for i-Moto
No. 33- Vesko Kozarov/Andy Lee for Skullcandy Team Nissan
No. 34- Patricio Jourdain/Izzy Sanchez for Skullcandy Team Nissan
No. 40- Charlie Belluardo/John Weisberg for Berg Racing
No. 50- Timmy Megenbier/David Quinlan for Berg Racing
No. 56- Jesse Combs/Jeff Mosing for RACE EPIC/Murillo Racing
No. 62- Gian Franco and Romulo Pisanni for Mitchum Motorsports
No. 63- Matthew Fassnacht/Dylan Murcott for Mitchum Motorsports
No. 65- Brent Mosing/Tim Probert for RACE EPIC/Murillo Racing
No. 74- Karl Thomson/Ryan Winchester for Compass360 Racing
No. 75- Ryan Eversley/Kyle Gimple for Compass360 Racing
No. 76- Adam Burrows/Ray Mason for Compass360 Racing
No. 77- David Thilenius/Robert Thorne for Compass360 Racing
No. 80- Connor Bloom/Greg Strelzoff for BimmerWorld Racing
No. 81- Tyler Cooke/Greg Liefooghe for BimmerWorld Racing
No. 82- Daniel Rogers/Seth Thomas for BimmerWorld Racing
No. 84- John Capestro-Dubets/James Clay for BimmerWorld Racing
No. 171- Ian Baas/Kevin Gleason for APR Motorsport
No. 181- Aleks Altsberg/Nate Norenberg for APR Motorsport
No. 196- Tom Dyer/Andrew Novich for RSR Motorsports
No. 197- Corey Fergus/Owen Trinkler for RSR Motorsports
No. 198- Sarah Cattaneo/Chris Puskar for RSR Motorsports
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 28- Sergio Musacchio
Not Entered:
No. 00- CKS Autosport
No. 2- Jim Click/Mike McGovern for Jim Click Racing
No. 54- Jim Click/Mike McGovern for Jim Click Racing (backup car to the No. 2)
No. 64- Ted Giovanis/David Murry for Team TGM
No. 67- Mickey Miller/Brett Strom for Bullet Performance
No. 92- Steve Eich/Luke Wilwert for HART
No. 93- Chad Gilsinger/Michael Valiente for HART
Ed Carpenter Racing Hauler Catches Fire
On Wednesday, the transporter for Ed Carpenter Racing's Izod IndyCar Series team caught fire on Interstate 40 near Flagstaff, AZ. The team was returning from a test session held at Auto Club Speedway in advance of next month's MavTV American Real 500, the Izod IndyCar Series season finale. There were no injuries.
Shortly after the fire, Carpenter released a statement.
"Our ECR/Fuzzy's Vodka trailer caught fire early this morning in Arizona, on I-40 near Flagstaff, after Tuesday's test session at Fontana. Our truck drivers, Matt Giese and Jeff Hughes, are okay. The No. 20 Fuzzy's Vodka Chevrolet race car and some equipment are also okay. We are still evaluating the damage at this time. We would like to thank the Andretti Autosport teams and their truck drivers who stopped to assist Matt and Jeff with the incident. We hope to have additional information on the trailer and equipment as soon as it is available."
The team continues to sort out the damage as of press time. It is unclear whether the fire will force Ed Carpenter Racing to miss the doubleheader weekend in Houston starting on October 4th.
Have news for Phil, Summer and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
~~~~~~~~~~
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com; and, if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when she does her weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Frontstretch Fan Q & A will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
~~~~~~~~~~
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com; and, if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when she does her weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Frontstretch Fan Q & A will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Featured Commentary
Nationwide No-Shows, Chase for Change, and Spacey Kasey
Nationwide No-Shows, Chase for Change, and Spacey Kasey
What's Vexing Vito
by Vito Pugliese
A few topics have been making the rounds the last few weeks, and have otherwise dominated the discussion of NASCAR's not too distant future, instead of the 2013 Chase -- which we're now already 20% through.
First of which, is the notion of Cup drivers competing in the Nationwide Series. Yes, NASCAR needs a feeder Series. The Nationwide Series was traditionally seen as that venue, where aspiring drivers would be able to learn how to handle NASCAR-style cars, speeds, tracks, rules, and learn from the few veterans who would be sprinkled throughout the field in companion events. That changed around the 2004-2005 seasons, when suddenly it was all Cup, all the time, with drivers flying cross-country to make it in time for what was once something to watch before Happy Hour practice.
Second-tier series my foot.
Back then, the idea was to get some extra track time on Saturday, and acclimate to the tire NASCAR was running that weekend. Cup teams with Cup technology were hard to handle, and was a great way for a driver to make some extra cash, sell some die-casts and t-shirts. Attendance was never an issue those days, with the remark often being, "quite a crowd for a Busch (Nationwide) race." Times have changed, and so has the taste for the product when there are no Cup drivers in the field. Rookie Ryan Blaney won in only his second start at Kentucky Speedway this weekend, but if a tire blows in the forest, does anyone hear it?
The attendance figures for the latest lackluster lap logger at Kentucky are shown as "not available" – which is appropriate since there didn't really appear to be anyone there in the stands.
While the Nationwide Series has begun to build its own identity by running Camaros, Mustangs, and the late lamented Challenger (seriously Dodge…nothing?), going north of the border, and running more road courses, it still can be a tough sell if there's not Cup drivers in the field. The Nationwide Series has also become the new Truck Series, as it has become a bastion for former Cup drivers who couldn't cut it the first time, and are hanging around, staying relevant and biding their time until they can possibly land another ride in the Sprint Cup Series. The Truck Series was once the Seniors Tour for NASCAR, but now it is the showcase for up and coming young talent - - which may be starting a new identity crisis for the Nationwide Series.
Which after 2014, will no longer be called the Nationwide Series. Rumor has it that Anheuser Busch may return as the title sponsor, which would make sense; most of the fans who regularly watch and show up still call it the Busch Series anyway.
There have been rumblings that there may be a shake-up in the Sprint Cup schedule for 2014. Bruton Smith squashed most the popular ones last week, when he didn't seem to enthused about trading dates with Darlington to give the Southern 500 its Labor Day spot back. His main mission in life still seems to be ending the season in Las Vegas, which while attractive for media exposure and the local economy, isn't exactly the action track that one would associate with a facility built behind where the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are based.
What is needed is to rotate new tracks in and out of the Chase – as well as the regular season schedule. Many tracks are getting a little long in the tooth, much the same way that The Price Is Right models should be subbed in every decade or two. There was a time when NASCAR would visit a track twice a year – because there weren't that many places that could hold a Cup Series event. The day of the 1.5-mile track as the fan favorite have long passed with the advent of aero-depedency and 210mph corner entry speeds.
Fans used to revile road courses as some sort of Eastern European communist conspiracy, but since they have become the new short track of stockcar racing, are among the most anticipated events of the year now. Nobody is going to build a racetrack for stockcars in this economy – The Circuit of The Americas in Austin, TX could host a NASCAR event, as it was purpose built to bring Formula One back to the United States. Time to start traveling to different tracks, expose the Series to new fans and parts of the country that don't get the luxury of two dates a year.
A track no longer needs to seat 150,000 comfortably anymore – if you can sell out the place with 60-70,000 people, that looks a heck of a lot more compelling on TV than a bunch of aluminum glistening in the sun.
As for The Chase – starting off in Chicago sounds good on paper being a major market, except for one thing: it's Chicago. It's week two for the NFL, NCAA football is in full swing, and if the White Sox are making a run down the stretch (God forbid…), NASCAR is going to take backseat to all three there – rain or no rain. What's wrong with kicking things off at Charlotte or even Martinsville? The deer aren't moving yet at Road America this time of year either – toss a road course in the mix why don't we? It was bad enough the owner of the Series was arbitrarily throwing teams in and out of the playoffs to kick things off, to follow it up with two snoozer races was not the way to usher in the much ballyhooed playoffs.
Speaking of which, if there was a time to axe the Chase with what went on at Richmond and the events thereafter, now might be the time to do it. If we were still using a season-long cumulative points system rather than the Mario Kart points payout we have now, here's how things would break down:
1. Jimmie Johnson 922
2. Carl Edwards 911 -11
3. Matt Kenseth 903 -19
4. Kyle Busch 896 -26
5. Kevin Harvick 894 -28
Three of the first four drivers have won the most races this year, with Edwards and Harvick there on a pair of wins each, and consistent finishes. I've never understood how being 12th or 13th in points qualified a team as Championship Material; all it means is that 30% of the field has done better than you for half a year.
The NFL Players Association is investigating why Oakland Raiders QB Terrelle Pryor was allowed back into the game this week, after suffering a concussion Monday against the Denver Broncos. Perhaps they can take a look at Kasey Kahne, after he smacked the inside not-a-soft wall at Loudon last weekend -- and then was back in the car and on track shortly after it had been repaired. He has since said his mannerisms during the awkward post-accident interview were the result of just being frustrated and upset about being out of the race.
After seeing how he got out of the car and stared at the ground, he must've been pretty mad at his Nomex footies too. "Toto, I don't think we're in Enumclaw anymore…"
A few topics have been making the rounds the last few weeks, and have otherwise dominated the discussion of NASCAR's not too distant future, instead of the 2013 Chase -- which we're now already 20% through.
First of which, is the notion of Cup drivers competing in the Nationwide Series. Yes, NASCAR needs a feeder Series. The Nationwide Series was traditionally seen as that venue, where aspiring drivers would be able to learn how to handle NASCAR-style cars, speeds, tracks, rules, and learn from the few veterans who would be sprinkled throughout the field in companion events. That changed around the 2004-2005 seasons, when suddenly it was all Cup, all the time, with drivers flying cross-country to make it in time for what was once something to watch before Happy Hour practice.
Second-tier series my foot.
Back then, the idea was to get some extra track time on Saturday, and acclimate to the tire NASCAR was running that weekend. Cup teams with Cup technology were hard to handle, and was a great way for a driver to make some extra cash, sell some die-casts and t-shirts. Attendance was never an issue those days, with the remark often being, "quite a crowd for a Busch (Nationwide) race." Times have changed, and so has the taste for the product when there are no Cup drivers in the field. Rookie Ryan Blaney won in only his second start at Kentucky Speedway this weekend, but if a tire blows in the forest, does anyone hear it?
The attendance figures for the latest lackluster lap logger at Kentucky are shown as "not available" – which is appropriate since there didn't really appear to be anyone there in the stands.
While the Nationwide Series has begun to build its own identity by running Camaros, Mustangs, and the late lamented Challenger (seriously Dodge…nothing?), going north of the border, and running more road courses, it still can be a tough sell if there's not Cup drivers in the field. The Nationwide Series has also become the new Truck Series, as it has become a bastion for former Cup drivers who couldn't cut it the first time, and are hanging around, staying relevant and biding their time until they can possibly land another ride in the Sprint Cup Series. The Truck Series was once the Seniors Tour for NASCAR, but now it is the showcase for up and coming young talent - - which may be starting a new identity crisis for the Nationwide Series.
Which after 2014, will no longer be called the Nationwide Series. Rumor has it that Anheuser Busch may return as the title sponsor, which would make sense; most of the fans who regularly watch and show up still call it the Busch Series anyway.
There have been rumblings that there may be a shake-up in the Sprint Cup schedule for 2014. Bruton Smith squashed most the popular ones last week, when he didn't seem to enthused about trading dates with Darlington to give the Southern 500 its Labor Day spot back. His main mission in life still seems to be ending the season in Las Vegas, which while attractive for media exposure and the local economy, isn't exactly the action track that one would associate with a facility built behind where the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are based.
What is needed is to rotate new tracks in and out of the Chase – as well as the regular season schedule. Many tracks are getting a little long in the tooth, much the same way that The Price Is Right models should be subbed in every decade or two. There was a time when NASCAR would visit a track twice a year – because there weren't that many places that could hold a Cup Series event. The day of the 1.5-mile track as the fan favorite have long passed with the advent of aero-depedency and 210mph corner entry speeds.
Fans used to revile road courses as some sort of Eastern European communist conspiracy, but since they have become the new short track of stockcar racing, are among the most anticipated events of the year now. Nobody is going to build a racetrack for stockcars in this economy – The Circuit of The Americas in Austin, TX could host a NASCAR event, as it was purpose built to bring Formula One back to the United States. Time to start traveling to different tracks, expose the Series to new fans and parts of the country that don't get the luxury of two dates a year.
A track no longer needs to seat 150,000 comfortably anymore – if you can sell out the place with 60-70,000 people, that looks a heck of a lot more compelling on TV than a bunch of aluminum glistening in the sun.
As for The Chase – starting off in Chicago sounds good on paper being a major market, except for one thing: it's Chicago. It's week two for the NFL, NCAA football is in full swing, and if the White Sox are making a run down the stretch (God forbid…), NASCAR is going to take backseat to all three there – rain or no rain. What's wrong with kicking things off at Charlotte or even Martinsville? The deer aren't moving yet at Road America this time of year either – toss a road course in the mix why don't we? It was bad enough the owner of the Series was arbitrarily throwing teams in and out of the playoffs to kick things off, to follow it up with two snoozer races was not the way to usher in the much ballyhooed playoffs.
Speaking of which, if there was a time to axe the Chase with what went on at Richmond and the events thereafter, now might be the time to do it. If we were still using a season-long cumulative points system rather than the Mario Kart points payout we have now, here's how things would break down:
1. Jimmie Johnson 922
2. Carl Edwards 911 -11
3. Matt Kenseth 903 -19
4. Kyle Busch 896 -26
5. Kevin Harvick 894 -28
Three of the first four drivers have won the most races this year, with Edwards and Harvick there on a pair of wins each, and consistent finishes. I've never understood how being 12th or 13th in points qualified a team as Championship Material; all it means is that 30% of the field has done better than you for half a year.
The NFL Players Association is investigating why Oakland Raiders QB Terrelle Pryor was allowed back into the game this week, after suffering a concussion Monday against the Denver Broncos. Perhaps they can take a look at Kasey Kahne, after he smacked the inside not-a-soft wall at Loudon last weekend -- and then was back in the car and on track shortly after it had been repaired. He has since said his mannerisms during the awkward post-accident interview were the result of just being frustrated and upset about being out of the race.
After seeing how he got out of the car and stared at the ground, he must've been pretty mad at his Nomex footies too. "Toto, I don't think we're in Enumclaw anymore…"
Vito Pugliese is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at vito.pugliese@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @VitoPugliese.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Critic's Annex: F.W. Webb 100
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to another edition of the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports-related programming. Last weekend, the Sprint Cup Series was at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for 317 miles of racing. As is the norm, the Whelen Modified Tour was there as well, serving as what amounted to the primary support for the Cup Series. The K&N Pro Series East teams were there as well, but that particular 100-lap race will not air on television until next Friday.
Pre-race coverage was quite brief. There was a brief introduction montage for the broadcast, then straight to the opening ceremonies. After the National Anthem, they went straight to the command, then the pace laps. Only then did the booth officially introduce themselves.
For the FOX Sports 2 telecast, FOX had Mike Joy and Bob Dillner in the broadcast booth. Both men are avid fans of Modified racing, and it shows. You get somewhat random anecdotes that drive that point home. They will reference the different venues that host the series, their history and such.
As you expect, having two avid fans of Modified racing in the booth means that you would have an enthusiastic call of the race. You would not be wrong here.
During the race, there was a strong focus towards the front of the field. Joy stated at the beginning of the race that the big stars had qualified at the front of the field. They proceeded to fight amongst themselves for the entire 100-mile distance. I will say this. You got constant fights for position, something that I cannot say about ESPN's telecast on Sunday. However, if you weren't in the top-4 or so, you were pretty much invisible.
I did have a gripe with the telecast. Namely, I have no clue what caused the incident involving Richie Pallai, Jr. and Cole Powell in Turn 3 (this was the one that caused the second yellow). It seemed like none of the cameras caught any of the incident other than aftermath. However, Joy saw the wreck happen in real time and explained (perhaps with a little hyperbole) what happened. Unfortunately, this was not a radio broadcast that I was listening to. The broadcast needs to compliment the commentary and FOX Sports failed to do it here.
Post-race coverage was fairly brief as well. There was a Victory Lane interview with winner Todd Szegedy and checks of the unofficial results and point standings before FOX Sports 2 left to get to the Zloop 150 from Kentucky that I covered on Tuesday.
Overall, FOX Sports 2 delivered a telecast that could be described as "fine." Dillner and Joy (mainly Joy when I really think about it) definitely increased my enjoyment of the race. However, I'd argue that it's actually quite difficult to cover all the battles for position in a Modified race at Loudon. Not so much in a Cup race with long runs. You know, if ESPN actually tried to cover as many battles as they could instead of running everything through the Chase prism.
I hope you enjoyed this look at the F.W. Webb 100. Next week, I'll have a look at Championship Weekend presented by BMW, the last-ever race for the Rolex Sports Car Series before the full merger with ALMS goes down. Until then, enjoy this weekend's action at Dover, Las Vegas and Lime Rock.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
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Race fans, do you love Frontstretch.com's coverage of NASCAR's top 3 series, IndyCar, Formula One and Short Track Racing? Do you want to read even more about your favorite sport? Then check out the industry's newest racing publication, Motorsport Illustrated News!, which is available both in print and in digital format! As one of our loyal readers, you'll receive 15% off any subscription when you use the coupon code fs2013.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
"We'll never know if the Air Titan would have sped up the drying process and helped to get the race started closer to on time, or helped it to resume faster because International Speedway Corporation and the tracks continue to play a game of keep away in the their sandbox." - P. Huston Ladner, on the Air Titan situation
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
by Jeff Wolfe
NASCAR Mailbox: Days of NASCAR Thunder and the MWR NAPA Blunder
by Summer Bedgood
by the Frontstretch Staff
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the same 1993 SplitFire Spark Plugs 500, Brett Bodine was a notable absentee from the race. Dick Trickle, then in between rides, drove Bodine's Quaker State Ford to a 25th-place finish. Why did Bodine sit out?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: The 1993 SplitFire Spark Plugs 500 at Dover was an absolutely crucial race for Rusty Wallace if he wanted to stay in the championship hunt. Wallace did his part, leading 215 laps and taking the win. For Dale Earnhardt, the day wasn't all that great by comparison. What happened?
A: It appears that Hut Stricklin may have missed a shift on the restart on Lap 370. As a result, he got run over from behind by Rusty Wallace. Stricklin spun and clipped Earnhardt and Ricky Rudd. Stricklin and Earnhardt then spun into the inside wall, while Rudd caught a little air, but continued on with a badly damaged Tide Chevrolet. Behind the first crash, Jeff Gordon and Rick Mast spun and hit the inside wall as well. The crashes can be seen here.
Everyone was ok after the crash. Stricklin was out on the spot. Earnhardt, Rudd, Gordon and Mast all spent time behind the wall getting repairs. Mast had the least damage and finished the best of those involved, 17th, 23 laps down. Earnhardt also finished the race 27th, 96 laps down. Rudd and Gordon returned to the race, but pulled off when they could not gain any more places. However, both were still in front of Earnhardt when they retired.
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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Justin Tucker
-- In Case You Missed It by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Justin Tucker
-- In Case You Missed It by Beth Lunkenheimer
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary.
Nuts For Nationwide by Kevin Rutherford
Kevin has another interesting look at the Nationwide Series prior to this weekend's 5-Hour Energy 200 at Dover International Speedway.
Voices From the Heartland by Jeff Meyer
Our Tennessee transplant returns with another interesting take on recent events.
Frontstretch Foto Funnies by the Frontstretch Staff
Pictures can lead to a thousand laughs; join us in our weekly dose of humor that comes from those candid moments at the track.
Driver Diary: Jeb Burton as told to Beth Lunkenheimer
The driver of the No. 4 Arrowhead Chevrolet in the Camping World Truck Series returns to talk about the past month, on and off the track.
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
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